LINCOLN, Neb. (October 8, 2021) - Nebraska Wesleyan athletics inducted inducting eight individuals and one family into the Hall of Fame for the 2020 and 2021 Classes. The group will be inducted during a ceremony on Saturday morning in Snyder Arena then recognized at halftime of Saturday's football game.
Below are members of the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame Class.
Bren Chambers ('97)
Football and Men's Track and Field
Bren Chambers was a two-sport student-athlete, competing in football and track and field from 1993-1997.
Chambers finished as a four-time letterwinner in Football. He currently ranks eighth all-time with 285 career tackles. Chambers was a three-time All-NIAC selection, earning first-team accolades in 1995, second-team honors in 1996, and honorable mention status in 1994. He was one of the program's first-ever NCAA Postgraduate recipients in 1996 as well as being an NAIA Scholar Athlete in 1995 and 1996.
In track and field, Chambers was a part of a 4x110-Meter High Hurdle Relay team that ranked second in school history. He also ranked eighth all-time in the indoor 55-Meter-High Hurdles. Chambers was a 1996 NCAA and NAIA All-American in the same event.
Kelly (Bowen) Diekmann ('02)
Track & Field
Kelley (Bowen) Diekmann was two-time national champion in the pole vault. From the 2001 indoor season to the 2002 outdoor season, she placed fifth or higher in every national championship meet for the discipline. In 2002, she won both the indoor and outdoor national titles along with setting an NCAA record in the event.
Bowen was a four-time All-American in the pole vault along with being the Great Plains Athletic Conference champion at the 2001 outdoor meet. She currently holds the school record for the indoor pole vault at 12'8"and the outdoor pole vault record at 13'2". Additionally, Bowen is fourth all-time in the indoor and outdoor high jump at 5'6".
Jason Ensrud
Spirit of the Plainsmen Award
Jason Ensrud has been a vital member of Nebraska Wesleyan, currently serving as the Director of Sports Medicine. He works primary as the athletic trainer for the Prairie Wolves football and baseball teams. Ensrud played an integral role in helping NWU combat the COVID-19 global health pandemic and assisted student-athletes and coaches safely return to intercollegiate athletics.
Ensrud was the 2015 College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee "NCAA DIII National Athletic Trainer of the Year" and the 2015 Mid-America Athletic Trainers' Association's "Most Distinguished Young Professional" award winner. In 2013, he was Nebraska Wesleyan's "C.O.R.E. Award" recipient.
Lynne (Fischer) Henry ('96)
Softball
Lynne Fischer Henry was a four-year letterwinner for the NWU softball team. She earned first-team All-NIAC honors in 1994 at first base. In 1996, Fischer achieved the prestigious status of CoSIDA Academic All-American for her work in the classroom and on the diamond.
Fischer is a one of a handful of players to play in 41 games in a season. Fischer is second all-time in at-bats and second all-time in career putouts with 807. Her 34 RBIs in 1994 are third most in a season. Fischer is also sixth all-time in career RBIs with 83 and career triples with eight. She appears twice on the all-time list for putouts in a season with 254 in 1994 and 215 the next season.
Dana Janssen ('86)
Men's Basketball
Dana Janssen is one of the most decorated men's basketball student-athletes in NWU history. Janssen was a four-year starter from 1982-1986 and averaged 20.4 points per game in his career. Janssen is currently the program's leading scorer with 2,333 points and leading rebounder with 1,218 rebounds. He also sits second for all-time blocked shots with 113 blocks.
Janssen was a two-time All-American and four-time first-team All-NIAC selection. Janssen was the first player in program history to be a repeat All-American and four-time first-team All-Conference selection. Janssen led Nebraska Wesleyan to three consecutive NCAA III Tournament appearances from 1984-86, helping NWU advance to the Final Four in 1985 and 1986, where NWU finished third both seasons. His number 42 is one of six retired jerseys at Nebraska Wesleyan, and the only one in Men's Basketball.
James Kernan ('88)
Football
James Kernan was one of the top players on the defensive side of the football for Nebraska Wesleyan in the 1980s. Kernan was a four-year letterwinner from 1983-1986. Currently, his 11 sacks in 1994 ranks second all-time for a season and his 22 career sacks ranks fourth on the all-time charts. Kernan is sixth in career tackles with 303 and ninth for season tackles with 132 in 1985.
He was a three-time All-NIAC selection during his career. Kernan earned first-team honors in 1985 and 1986 and was tabbed with honorable mention accolade in 1984.
Megan Littrell ('00)
Women's Soccer
Megan Littrell anchored a backline that guided Nebraska Wesleyan to win four consecutive women's soccer conference championships and qualify for three NAIA Tournaments from 1996-1999.
Littrell was a two-time NAIA All-American honorable mention in 1997 and 1998, she was also an NAIA All-Region selection those seasons as well. Littrell earned All-NIAC honors as a defender all four of her years at NWU. Her performance in the classroom and on the pitch were recognized with a CoSIDA Academic All-American award in 1999 and a NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete accolade in 1998. Those academic awards went along with two CoSIDA All-District selections in 1997 and 1999.
BJ Nannen ('01)
Men's Basketball
BJ Nannen was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter from 1998-2001 in men's basketball. He is currently second in program history for three-point field goals in a season with 110 during the 1998-99 season. Nannen's 110 three-pointers were also the fourth most in the country that season. His 276 three-point field goals in his career are currently fourth best in program history.
Nannen was a two-time All-Conference selection. He was an honorable mention selection during the 1998-99 season then followed that with a first-team selection for the 1999-2000 season.
The Bebee Family
Spirit of the Plainsmen Award
The Bebee Family has been major contributors to the success of Nebraska Wesleyan athletics. The Bebee Family, along with the Gardner Foundation, provided resources to enhance NWU athletics with a new video scoreboard, renovations to the Abel Stadium press box, and upgrades to the Weary Center's strength and conditioning facility. The Bebee family's generosity and support have made a lasting impression on a countless number of student-athlete's experiences at Nebraska Wesleyan.
Along with their support, Timarie Bebee Hansen was a three-year letterwinner in volleyball and a 2005 graduate of NWU. Garek Bebee had a decorated football career, starting every game on the offensive line during his career for the Prairie Wolves, and is a 2011 graduate of NWU.
